Rudy Giuliani Disbarred in New York for 'Flagrantly Misusing' His Power to Spread 2020 Election Lies

Rudy Giuliani — the former mayor of New York City and ex-lawyer for Donald Trump — has been disbarred in New York over the lies he spread about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

On July 2, the First Department of the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division ruled that Giuliani lost his right to practice law for violating "some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession."

"The seriousness of respondent’s misconduct cannot be overstated," reads the ruling. "Respondent flagrantly misused his prominent position as the personal attorney for former President Trump and his campaign, through which respondent repeatedly and intentionally made false statements, some of which were perjurious, to the federal court, state lawmakers, the public, the [Attorney Grievance Committee], and this Court concerning the 2020 Presidential election, in which he baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process."

Giuliani's close connection with the former president, and his attempts to bend the law on Trump's behalf, have led to a near-unraveling of the legal career of a man once known as "America's mayor."

In 2021, a New York appellate court ruled that Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer during the post-election frenzy, made "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large" related to the election, in which Trump lost to Biden by about 7 million votes but nonetheless claimed it was rigged.

The court then temporarily suspended Giuliani's law license in New York. Shortly after that, his D.C. law license was temporarily suspended.

Giuliani has been mired in multiple other legal issues related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Giuliani was indicted in a Georgia election subversion case in August 2023, alongside Trump himself and 17 other MAGA allies. He was indicted in May 2024 in a similar election interference case in Arizona. He has pleaded not guilty.

Giuliani has faced a number of reported financial issues, too — the result of millions of dollars in legal bills stemming from the 2020 election and from a probe into whether he acted as an unregistered lobbyist for Ukrainian officials.

Unrelated to the 2020 election, he was sued by a former staffer for sexual harassment in May 2023. The staffer, Noelle Dunphy, accused Giuliani of forcing her to have oral sex and intercourse. The lawsuit also alleged Giuliani was selling presidential pardons for $2 million.

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson later alleged in her 2023 memoir that, shortly before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot began, Giuliani groped her beneath her skirt while claiming the administration would find a way to stay in power. He denied the accusation.

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023, citing $500 million of debt.